The conservative candidate for chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz sharply criticized Foreign Minister Analena Berbock for her comments in which she suggested that Berlin could send soldiers to Ukraine to keep the peace, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
„This question is not being asked by anyone at the moment,”, Mertz told public broadcaster AER De. Such speculations are irresponsible, added the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
On Tuesday, during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Berbock, who is a member of the “Greens” party, said that German soldiers could be deployed in Ukraine to ensure peace.
When asked about Germany's role in a future peace agreement, she replied that everything that serves the cause of peace in the future will be “supported by Germany” and did not rule out the deployment of German troops.
Mertz noted that Russia still acts with brutal cruelty against the civilian population of Ukraine. “We are all looking for an answer to the question of how this war can be ended,” he said.
His comments come about two months before Germany's expected elections, after which polls show Merz has a strong chance of being the country's new chancellor.